Contraindications for massage.

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Can anyone tell me if Bacterial Meningitis is contraindicated for massage? How about if its coupled with a diagnosis of lyme disease? Actually, the proper diagnosis is Lyme Meningitis, but I can't find any info on that specifically. I'm getting contradictory information regarding the bacterial meningitis. I've worked on people with lyme disease, but not just after a diagnosis while still receiving IV therapy.

I had a client recently show up on my doorstep so sick he could hardly stand upright. His gf drove him to me as he was too sick to drive. He looked horrible. He insisted that it was due to a fall a few weeks prior and had been to see the doctor since then. He also insisted that his doctor recommended massage. I asked for a written note from the doctor. He couldn't produce one, so I sent him away. We rescheduled for later in the week but I refused to work on him until after he had seen a doctor and gotten a written note.

I get a call the next day. My client is in the hospital with half of his body paralyzed! (So glad I didn't work on him!) He's got Lyme Meningitis. He wants a massage ASAP. I insisted that he finish his 3 weeks of outpatient IV therapy and get a note from the doctor before I will touch him. The client instead gets a note from the doctor stating only that my client is not coneforum.xxxious. I've explained over and over that it has nothing to do with infection, its more about liability.

Would you work on this client under these circumstances? At what point would he be safe to work on again? I'm actually quite upset that he came to me for a massage when he was so sick he should have been at the doctor or hospital! Is this guy too irresponsible with his health to work on at all? (When he showed up on my doorstep so sick, he claimed he was sleep deprived and doped up on Vicadin that was prescribed for a tooth ache. He also insisted that he had just had an MRI earlier that week and the doctor approved massage. When I questioned him further, the MRI results hadn't returned yet and the doctor wasn't approving massage for his current condition, he just approves of massage in general!) Had I not spent so much time pulling teeth and prodding this guy into giving me all the details, I could have chosen to work on him, just taking his word for what was going on with his body. I'm not sure if I should see this client again at all? He seems very irresponsible with his health?

 

[Ablebaby]

Contraindications for massage.

I would NOT! From what I can see, lyme meningitis is much less severe than viral meningitis and even other forms of bacterial meningitis, but they have the same symptoms : (taken from http://www.kidshealth.org)
* fever
* stiff neck
* severe headache
* sensitivity to light
* vomiting
* nausea
* extreme sleepiness
* confusion
* seizure
which don't really call for massage as an effective treatment. I would be very suspicious of the fact that he can't get a prescription or even a note from his doctor for massage. I'm very glad you turned him away- who thinks of massage first when they're that severely sick anyway?

 

[...Just Me :)]

Contraindications for massage.

He was severely sick! When he called me to cancel his upcoming appointment, he didn't even remember being at my place and being turned away! When I told him I knew he had been sick, he couldn't figure out how I already knew and insisted that I hadn't seen him in over three weeks!

He even had one droopy eye on the day I saw him. I'm not surprised he woke up with one half of his body paralyzed. I'm just not sure what to do about him in the future? He has a history of self-medicating and getting accurate medical information out of him is like pulling teeth. He talks in circles and seems to think that because his family doctor thinks that massages are great, that this means he's got the green light to get a massage in every single situation! I'm just wondering if he's too much of a liability?

 

[S P]

Contraindications for massage.

I'm just wondering if he's too much of a liability?

Yes oh yes!! If you know or even suspect that massage is not in his best interest, you should stay far away unless he can agree to get his doctor to do a consult with you. If he ever ended up having to go to the ER or something after a session, it could very easily come back and bite you in the rear.

 

[hellokity017]

Contraindications for massage.

I certainly wouldn't work on him. Seems to me you can't trust his answers. :roll:

 

[indian_cowboy]

Contraindications for massage.

Get his doctor's contact info and call him/her directly. Actually, if you have the doctor's letter, you already have that info. Call the physician and discuss the situation. Let them know your concerns and the conditions you have placed upon the client.

Since most MDs know very little about manual therapy, this is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your ethics and professionalism, not to mention awareness of contraindications and the bigger therapeutic picture. You two may have similar concerns about the client's communication style.

This is not a HIPAA issue if you have legitimate concern for this client's welfare. That said, you may want to have this client's consent form signed and in your files.

 

[Dmanman]

Contraindications for massage.

Get his doctor's contact info and call him/her directly. Actually, if you have the doctor's letter, you already have that info. Call the physician and discuss the situation. Let them know your concerns and the conditions you have placed upon the client.

Since most MDs know very little about manual therapy, this is an excellent opportunity to demonstrate your ethics and professionalism, not to mention awareness of contraindications and the bigger therapeutic picture. You two may have similar concerns about the client's communication style.

This is not a HIPAA issue if you have legitimate concern for this client's welfare. That said, you may want to have this client's consent form signed and in your files.

I do have the doctor's note, but its from a neurologist who treated him in the hospital, not his GP or whomever is handling his on-going therapy.

I have a consent form on file, but I will get a recent updated one as well.

Actually, I really lectured my client about his irresponsible behavior regarding his health and how upset I was that he showed up at my doorstep when he should have been at the hospital! I explained that had I taken his word for it what was going on with his body, I could have hurt him and made myself liable. (What if he would have woken up paralyzed the day after his massage!! OMG!) I told him I would continue to see him after he has completed all of his outpatient treatment and gets a doctors written note of consent to recieve massage (not that he's not coneforum.xxxious!). However, I think I may have embarassed him to the point that he's afraid to face me again. Oh well, if I lose him, I won't have to worry about potential liability! But if he does return, its going to take a lot of constant prodding and questioning to keep me updated on the state of his health. I really think he doesn't fully understand what the doctor tells him in the first place. I will have to stay in contact with the doctor since the client is unreliable.

 

[LaLa]

Contraindications for massage.

Being from the area of Connecticut where Lyme is so common place I have been reading about the thread with lots of interest. I have a friend of mine that had to put 2 of her horses down bc of the constantly getting Lyme completely ate through their joints.

And my mom has been infected twice and even thought she is "Lyme Free" she is still not right. I really don't think Lyme ever leaves your body the antibiotics just make it dormant

 

[TonyWithLove]

Contraindications for massage.

Being from the area of Connecticut where Lyme is so common place I have been reading about the thread with lots of interest. I have a friend of mine that had to put 2 of her horses down bc of the constantly getting Lyme completely ate through their joints.

And my mom has been infected twice and even thought she is "Lyme Free" she is still not right. I really don't think Lyme ever leaves your body the antibiotics just make it dormant

You're right. Lyme doesn't ever leave your body and antibiotics to make it go dormant. Then it seems, each time there is flair up of lyme, its worse than the last. Its almost as if it gains strength while dormant? I have a friend with lyme who is a MT and works at a wellness center that specializes in lyme treatment. She's much better than she used to be, but still not quite right. She used to have a flair up every year. Each year her relapses are less and less debilitating.

Did you ever hear about the Lyme conspiracy? That it came from a lab that was working on biological warfare for the government or something like that? I don't know what the book is called, but there is a book about it. I heard that the governement doesn't want the medical establishment treating lyme very aggressively because they want it to seem as if its not a big deal of an illness. That antibiotics are the "cure" when in reality its a much more serious illness than we realize. At least that's what I've heard.

 

[Big D]

Contraindications for massage.

It wouldn't suprise me. I encourage all people that have a weird illness to get tested for Lyme. It never hurts to have a simple blood test

 

[StopAdmin]

Contraindications for massage.

It wouldn't suprise me. I encourage all people that have a weird illness to get tested for Lyme. It never hurts to have a simple blood test

So does my friend. The only thing is that its so hard to diagnose? For some reason the tests are so inaccurate giving a false negative most of the time. I heard that you have to have been bitten by the tick fairly recently for the "regular" lyme test to register positive (like within 3 weeks of the bite). My aunt almost died in the hospital before they FINALLY diagnosed her with lyme. I heard that there is a more expensive and more accurate test available if you can convince your doctor to administer it. Once again, this makes me think that there may be some conspiracy involved since the testing is so poor and inaccurate.

Makes me wonder, why is it that my vet can test my dogs and horses for lyme and get an accurate result, but my own doctor cannot? Very strange. Maybe we should all see vets instead of MD's! : They can to parasite testing too, which MD's scoff at!

 

[saffrondoula]

Contraindications for massage.

I have been meet by a lot of resistance by encourage my clients to be tested for Lyme and their Dr.s too. When they test you for Lyme don't they run your Tider? Just like dog & horses...IDK I know more about the animal test than the people one...LOL

 

[reme_1]

Contraindications for massage.

Ugh, we've had so many Lyme's cases in our practice this summer and fall. It really sucks! But I can attest to clients not having 100% focus - symptoms are constantly changing, and sometimes they can't even remember how long it has been since their last treatment. :shock: I've noticed a bit of a bi-polar type of pattern in several clients over the last few months (two dx'd, one waiting on a dx), which may help explain the fogginess and mental fatigue.

Anyway, sorry, I have no idea about massage therapy being contraindicated though. We work our own protocols for Lyme's and other autoimmune disorders in Reflexology, and I know a lot of contra issues in massage are OK in Reflexology.